For a number of years in a row, YouTube holds the title of the second most visited website in the world, standing down only to Google, its parent company. This is not only the largest video platform, but also a site where visitors are really involved in the searching and viewing of content. Video marketing is a strong tool for promotion in all leading social networks, but unlike Twitter and Instagram, people watch videos on YouTube more attentively, with the sound turned on, and prepared to spend time on longer form content. As a YouTube creator, you’ve got to make it worth viewers’ while, to grab attention, build a solid channel and grow your community. In this article you will find 10 tips for optimizing your YouTube content and increasing the number of views on your videos.

1. Keep the Image Quality Up

As the creators of 4K Video Downloader, an application for getting high-resolution video from YouTube and other platforms, we understand the importance of quality video image for users and can't help but emphasize it. The digital era has not come so long ago, but people are already used to seeing a clean, realistic picture, from video games to vlogs. Needless to say, grainy image won’t make viewers stay for long. But that doesn't mean you have to spend your budget on a 4K camera and proper lighting right away. Most of today's smartphones can record high video, and a tripod and basic lighting can be purchased for a penny on Amazon or Aliexpress. Steady camera and good lightning make video look less amateurish, therefore more pleasing to watch. Keep it in mind when making videos for your YouTube channel.

2. Keep the Content Quality Even Higher

Quality content is helpful content. It teaches, entertains, or resonates with the audience. To create engaging videos on a regular basis, you need to have a clear idea of who you are making them for. Determine the audience of your channel, how old they are, what they are interested in, what they are most likely to search for on YouTube, what video format is the most popular among them (tutorials, reviews, hauls, sketches, etc). Once you've targeted your audience, adjust your content to it. Take the time to prepare carefully, double-check all the facts and structure the information you want to convey. A precise goal and responsible approach will improve the quality of your videos and bring the desired results.

3. Work on Visual Presentation

Before subscribing, viewers usually take a look at the entire channel. The fastest way to give an idea of the topic and style of your content, is to create a channel trailer. Record a short video telling who you are, why and for whom you are making videos, then set it for new visitors to see. Video thumbnails make a big difference in how your channel is perceived, so try to keep them in the same style and color scheme. Stick to one style for each of your video series to separate them visually, and give the feed an organized, consistent look. If you prefer original video frames to graphic images for your thumbnails, it’s best to capture the speaker in the same placement, sitting in front of a non-distracting background. This way, the background will turn into a decoration, and the focal point of each thumbnail will be on you.

4. Optimize Video Titles and Descriptions

On top of all the titles mentioned in the introduction, YouTube is also the second largest search engine, so it’s important your content can be easily found. Your goal as a YouTube creator is to rank higher in the search results, and the key to reaching it, is optimizing titles and descriptions of your videos. Instead of stuffing a bunch of keywords and most likely getting a channel penalty for it, place a couple of keywords at the beginning of a video title. As for descriptions, it’s best to put relevant keywords into the first two sentences and giving the video a summary, so that viewers have higher chances of finding your content. Tools like TubeBuddy can help you defining proper hashtags for each video.

5. Balance the Intro and Topic Coverage Times

The increasing digitization of our lifestyle inevitably leads to changes, and unfortunately an attention span reduction is one of them. Microsoft’s report said that an average consumer’s attention span is even shorter than that of a goldfish. This is especially important to consider when creating an introduction or credit sequence for your videos. If the opening is too long, viewers can quickly lose interest. Try to make your intro no longer than 5 seconds. The actual video, on the other hand, can be much longer. The optimal would be 7-15 minutes, but you can safely go at length about the topic for a longer time if you have a lot of valuable information to share. You can even improve your YouTube watch time this way, as viewers will spend more time on your videos. YouTube algorithm treats videos with better watch time as a content of higher quality.

6. Use End Screens for Channel Promotion

You must have seen this on other YouTube channels, a video ending with interactive graphics that let viewers watch another video from the channel, watch a playlist, subscribe to channel, or visit a website. Invite your viewers to do the same, to grow the number of views and subscribers of your channel. In the remaining 10 seconds of a video, make sure to leave room for the end screens. Just like this the attention of viewers will continue to focus on you giving information, carefully transitioning from your topic coverage to the channel promotion. Think what videos or playlists would be suitable to recommend to watch next, it’s better if it’s related to the original video or could be of interest to this video’s viewers.

7. Maintain a Strict Posting Schedule

The last, but very, very much not the least, the video publishing frequency. YouTube algorithm rewards channels that post more than once a week, with better chances to be recommended. But if you aren’t ready for this kind of grind just yet, you should at least communicate consistency to your subscribers. They will know when to expect new videos, and consider your channel to be dependable and reliable, which builds trust. The more trust your viewers have for you, the more likely they are to be loyal subscribers, eager to watch and support you. Make them want to come back for more and let them know when exactly they should do so — mention that you release new videos every Thursday, for example, at the end of each of your videos. Though sustaining even a weekly posting schedule can be hard and seem confining at first, remember that it will not only get better, but also make you more organized and bring growth. Don’t hesitate or be afraid, just start trying and it won’t be long until your channel starts prospering!